JOE AMARANTE: Weeks after slayings, violent films lead box office

Well, at least the word "massacre" wasn't in the title. But "Texas Chainsaw 3D" was the top movie in box office receipts nationally this weekend.

And that just feels wrong in Connecticut, where nerves are still frayed after the real-life mass slaying at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The sixth horror film in the Leatherface/chainsaw slayer franchise scored an estimated $23 million in box office business on its opening weekend, exceeding expectations and besting "Django Unchained," another violent film, with an estimated $20 million.

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That bloody Quentin Tarantino film has grossed $106.35 million through 13 days, and Tarantino didn't enjoy being asked about "Django's" blood quotient in light of Newtown recently, according to a New York Daily News report.

National Public Radio's Terry Gross asked Tarantino if, "after the massacre," referring to the Sandy Hook tragedy, he ever loses his "taste for movie violence?"

No, he said. "Would I watch a kung fu movie three days after the Sandy Hook massacre? Maybe, because they have nothing to do with each other."

Gross said he sounded annoyed. "Yea, I'm really annoyed," he responded. "I think it's disrespectful to their memory ... the issue is gun control and mental health."

An editor at Boxoffice.com said Sunday night that the weekend results could not be broken down by state, so it's unknown how big an audience the two films drew in Connecticut's roughly eight dozen theaters.

But it's safe to say that violent entertainment continues unchecked in America in the new year.

The Newtown horror occurred just two days before the season finale of "Homeland" on Showtime, in which a car bomb wipes out an entire memorial service filled with government officials. The episode, paired with Showtime's serial killer show "Dexter," scored record ratings the same night as the Newtown interfaith vigil with President Barack Obama.

Violent entertainment wins in this country, especially with young moviegoers. The box office report notes that the audience breakdown for "Texas Chainsaw 3D" skewed heavily toward the under-25 age group, at 64 percent, although it was close among genders (52 percent female, 48 percent male).

Rounding out the top five films in earnings this weekend were "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," with $17.5 million, "Les Miserables," with $16.1 million (with its domestic total now over $103.6 million) and "Parental Guidance," at $10.1 million. The thing about TV and movie violence, its producers point out, is that it's not all that dangerous to well-adjusted viewers. Unless you consider the desensitization and tolerance for ultra-violent weapons.

The flip response to concerns about "Texas Chainsaw 3D" is that it doesn't even feature an assault rifle in the title. But you won't find many breezy responses to violence among those touched by the vessels of "semi-automatic" death and destruction.

Oh, and submitted for your approval: Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly. The popular duo, who visited Newtown last week, will speak with the TV anchor on "World News with Diane Sawyer" Tuesday about their new initiative to deal with America's violence problem.

Violence in America is not the gun makers' or owners' problem; it's not Tarantino's problem; it's not Hollywood's problem. It's always someone else's problem. Like ours.